obligate

[v. ob-li-geyt; adj. ob-li-git, -geyt] /v. ˈɒb lɪˌgeɪt; adj. ˈɒb lɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt/

verb (used with object), obligated, obligating.

to bind or oblige morally or legally:

to obligate oneself to purchase a building.

to pledge, commit, or bind (funds, property, etc.) to meet an obligation.

adjective

morally or legally bound; obliged; constrained.

necessary; essential.

Biology. restricted to a particular condition of life, as certain organisms that can survive only in the absence of oxygen: obligate anaerobe (opposed to facultative).

Origin

1400-50; late Middle English obligat (adj.) < Latin obligātus (past participle of obligāre to bind), equivalent to ob- ob- + ligātus; see ligate

Related forms

obligable

[ob-li-guh-buh l] /ˈɒb lɪ gə bəl/ (Show IPA), adjective

obligator, noun

nonobligated, adjective

preobligate, verb (used with object), preobligated, preobligating.

quasi-obligated, adjective

reobligate, verb (used with object), reobligated, reobligating.

unobligated, adjective

Can be confused

obligate, oblige.

Examples from the web for obligate

Funding programs often require project sponsors to obligate funds in a timely manner or lose the funds.
The filing does not obligate them to actually make the sales.
Learning these divergent views does not obligate the student to accept any of them as the last word.
It surely did not obligate an armed response to local insurgency, even a communist one.
These bacteria are obligate autotrophs, so they don't grow on any of the media used to isolate pathogens.
An obligate or true carnivore is an animal that must eat meat in order to thrive.
Like all cats, it is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat.

British Dictionary definitions for obligate

obligate

/ˈɒblɪˌɡeɪt/

verb

to compel, constrain, or oblige morally or legally

(in the US) to bind (property, funds, etc) as security

adjective

compelled, bound, or restricted

(biology) able to exist under only one set of environmental conditions: an obligate parasite cannot live independently of its host Compare facultative (sense 4)

Derived Forms

obligable, adjective
obligative, adjective
obligator, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin obligāre to oblige

Word Origin and History for obligate

1540s, "to bind, connect;" 1660s, "to put under moral obligation," back-formation from obligation, or else from Latin obligatus, past participle of obligare (see oblige). Oblige, with which it has been confused since late 17c., means "to do one a favor." Related: Obligated; obligating.

obligate in Medicine

obligate ob·li·gate (ŏb'lĭ-gĭt, -gāt')
adj.
Able to exist or survive only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role.

obligate in Science

obligate

(ŏb'lĭ-gĭt, -gāt')
Capable of existing only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role. An obligate aerobe, such as certain bacteria, can live only in the presence of oxygen. An obligate parasite cannot survive independently of its host. Compare facultative.